Music-leaf turner.



0. B. WILLI.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11, 1910.

997,107. Patented July 4,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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0. B. WILLI.

MUSIC LEAF TURNER.

uruonxon rum) MAB. 11, 1910.

Patented July 4, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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MUM! FLANOOIAPN OTTO B. WILLI, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

MUSIC-LEAF TURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4, 1911.

Application filed March 11, 1910. Serial No. 548,691.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO B. WILLI, citizen of the United States,residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahoning and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Music- LeafTurners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements inapparatus for turning the leaves of musical compositions and theinvention has for its primary object a simple and durable constructionof music leaf turner, the parts of which are so arranged that the leaveswill be at all times under perfect control so as to be turned to theright or to the left as desired, and the invention consists in certainconstructions, arrangements and combinations of the parts that I shallhereafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a music leaf turner constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, thesection being taken through the casing or housing or the actuatingdevices; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the device;Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4% of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the lower portion of the arm actuating sleeveemployed; Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the leaf turningarms; and, Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a part of the sleeve,the section being taken approximately on the line 77 of Fig. 5.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

My improved music leaf turner comprises a cylinder 1 which may besecured in any desired way to the music panel of a piano, organ orsimilar instrument, or mounted in any desired manner upon a music stand,said cylinder being provided at its upper end with a screw cap 2 and atits lower end with a corresponding cap 3. Intermediate of its ends andpreferably nearer the upper end than the lower end, the cylinder 1 isformed on its interior with a screw threaded bearing 4: in which anactuating sleeve 5 works. The sleeve 5 is exteriorly screw threaded andis mounted to move longitudinally upon and to turn with a shaft 6, saidshaft in the present instance being formed with an upper square ornoncircular portion and the actuating sleeve 5 being formed with atwopoint bearing of corresponding shape. The lower portion of the shaft6 is preferably round, as indicated at 7. The shaft 6 is provided at itsupper end with a trunnion S journaled in a bearing in the upper screwcap 2, and the lower end of the shaft is held by set collars 9 in abearing opening formed in the lower screw cap 8. The shaft extendsdownwardly below the screw cap 3 into a casing 10 which is secured inany desired way to said screw cap, and a bevel pinion 11 is secured tothe lower extremity of the shaft. A transversely extending shaft 12 isjournaled in the casing 10 and carries two loose bevel gear wheels 13which mesh with the pinion 11 in diametrical relation thereto. Each gearwheel 13 is fast with a ratchet wheel, said ratchet wheels beingdesignated 14 and 15, respectively, and each ratchet wheel beingprovided in the present instance with six teeth, although it is to beunderstood that the number of teeth may be varied, according to theratio of gears to pinion.

A pawl P is designed for engagement with the ratchet wheel 14 and a pawlP is designed for engagement with the ratchet wheel 15. These pawls aregravity push pawls in the present instance and are pivotally mounted onthe upper ends of the vertically extending arms 16 of bell crank leversL and L, respectively. The relatively horizontally extending arm of thelevers are pressed upon by springs 17 whereby the horizontally extendingarms will normally be held in an upwardly inclined position with thepawls out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheels 14 and 15.It will be noted that the upwardly projecting arm 16 of each bell cranklever is formed at its upper end with a lug 18 designed to engage thecorresponding pawl and hold it in a relatively elevated position out ofengagement with the ratchet wheels, whereby each ratchet wheel is freeto move until the horizontally extending arm of its lever is depressed,whereupon the corresponding pawl will be lowered and carried intooperative engagement with the teeth of the wheel.

It is to be understood that within the purview of my invention any meansmay be employed to actuate the levers L and L. In the present embodimentof the invention I have shown as said actuating means keys K and K thatare respectively connected to the levers by link rods 19. Theseactuating keys K, K may be located just above and back of the regularkeys of the piano or other instrument equipped with the invention.

20 designates the leaf turning arms. Each of these is carried by astandard 21 which extends vertically within the cylinder 1, and which isprovided with upper and lower bearing rings 22 by which it is mounted toturn on the round lower portion 7 of the shaft 6. Each standard 21 isformed at its upper end above the upper bearing ring 22, with alaterally projecting lug 23. Preferably, each leaf turning arm with itsstandard 21, bearing rings and lugs is constructed out of a single pieceof sheet metal, stamped and shaped in the desired form. In the presentillustration there are six of these arms shown (although it is to beunderstood that any desired number may be used) and the standards are soarranged that the lugs 23 will bear a stepped relation to each other,one above the other, each lug 23 being higher than the lug next below itby a distance equal to one-half the pitch of the threads on theactuating sleeve 5. The said sleeve is formed at its lower end withactuating fingers 24, and these also are so arranged that each finger ishigher than the preceding one by a distance equal to onehalf the pitchof the threads of the actuating sleeve. The vertical height of theindividual fingers and the individual lugs is a little less than onehalfthe pitch of the said threads, while the distance between the insidevertical faces of the fingers 261 is slightly greater than the thicknessof the lugs 23. Manifestly, the leaf turning arms 20 are bent ordeflected intermediate of their ends so that their outer ends will alllie in the same horizontal plane. Any desired construction of clip maybe employed to secure the leaf to the arm. For example, as illustratedbest in Fig. 1, each arm carries a spring jaw clip 25 formed at itslower end with a loop 26 by which it is adapted to move longitudinallyon one of the arms 20.

In connection with the leaf turning mechanism, any desired constructionor arrangement of mechanism may be employed to hold the music book orthe cover sheet of the musical composition upon the music shelf or panelof the instrument, and any means may be employed to secure the sheetmusic or book to the leaf turning apparatus. For the purpose ofillustration only, I have shown an arm 27 secured to the cylinder 1 nearthe lower end thereof, said arm being designed to engage the lower edgeof the book or sheet music, and co-acting with a spring arm 28 designedto engage the upper edge of the book or the like. This upper arm 28 issecured to a sleeve 29 which is mounted for vertical movement andfrictionally held adjustment on a post 30 which is secured in anydesired way to the upper screw cap 2 and which projects upwardlytherefrom, as clearly illustrated in the drawing.

In describing the practical operation of my improved music leaf turner,it will be understood that in the normal or at rest position of theparts, both of the bell crank levers L, L are held with their actuatingor depressing arms at the highest point of their movement. Thus the lugs18 on the upwardly projecting arm 16 of the bell. cranks hold the pawlsP, P just outside of the clearance circles of the ratchet wheels 14; and15 so that said wheels may be turned in either direction. In Fig. 3, allbut one of the leaf turning arms 20 are shown as having been turnedaround to the left. Now, for example, if the key K is depressed. it ispulled down to actuate the right hand bell crank L, the end of the pawlP will fall and engage a tooth on the ratchet wheel 14: so as to turnthe actuating sleeve 5 from right to left. The full stroke of the pawl Pis secured so that it will turn the ratchet wheel 14 one-sixth of arevolution, and this consequently will turn the actuating sleeve 5one-half of a revolution and swing the leaf turning arm from right toleft. Of course, the left hand ratchet wheel 15 turns in an oppositedirection to that in which the right hand ratchet wheel 14 is turned,but the pawl P of the ratchet wheel 15 does not interfere, as it is heldby its lug 18 in a relatively elevated position. As soon as the bellcrank L is released, it assumes its original position and the relativepositions of the pawls and the teeth of the ratchet wheels are the same,although obviously the ratchet wheel 14 has been turned one tooth. It isclear that this movement can be repeated immediately so as to turn onearm after the other from right to left or the movement may be reversedby merely pressing the lefthand bell crank L. As shown in said Fig. 3,the highest finger 2& at the right of the view is close to the observer,while the lower finger at the right is behind the lug 23 on the last armin the series. As the actuating sleeve 5 is turned by the rotation ofthe shaft 6, the sleeve turning from right to left, it carries the lug23 with it and also moves downwardly so that for a small part of arevolution of the actuating sleeve, the said lug is held between thesaid fingers and may be stopped when only part way around and turnedback by pressing the left hand bell crank L. If the sleeve 5, however,is turned an entire half revolution from right to left and the lug 23 ofthe said arm 20 reaches the left hand side, the highest finger on thesleeve is now behind the lug of the arm and said arm and the leaf itcontrols can immediately be turned to the right without a lostmotion bypressing the left hand bell crank L. If, in the position shown, the lefthand bell crank L be actuated, the sleeve 5 will be turned from left tothe right. The highest finger 24 at the left is behind the lug 23 andwill thus turn the lug and arm from left to right. It will thus be seenthat the leaf is under control at all points and can be stopped whenhalf way around or at any other point and immediately returned.Preferably, the sleeve 5 is provided at its upper end with a pin 31designed to limit the downward movement of the sleeve.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a music leaf turner, comprising a cylinder having a threadedbearing portion, a sleeve mounted in said bearing portion provided witharms, a shaft extending through said sleeve, a plurality of leaf turningarms provided with lugs coacting with the arms of said sleeve, and meansfor actuating said shaft.

2. A music leaf turner, embodying an actuating sleeve, a bearing inwhich the sleeve is mounted for engagement, a shaft mounted in thesleeve, the sleeve being free to move longitudinally on the shaft butheld to turn therewith and provided with spaced actuating fingers, meansfor turning said shaft, and a leaf turning arm mounted to swing on saidshaft and provided with a lug designed for engagement by said fingers.

8. A music leaf turner, embodying a sleeve, a bearing in which thesleeve has a threaded engagement, a shaft on which the sleeve is mountedto move longitudinally but held to turn therewith, a support for saidshaft, a leaf turning arm embodying a standard provided with bearingsmounted on said shaft and with a lug, the sleeve being provided withspaced fingers designed for engagement with said lug.

4. A music leaf turner, embodying a cylinder, a shaft ournaled therein,a sleeve mounted in the cylinder, the latter having a threaded bearingin which the sleeve works,

the shaft passing through the sleeve and the latter movablelongitudinally on the shaft, but held to turn therewith, the sleevebeing formed with spaced actuating fingers, means for turning the shaft,and a leaf turning arm embodying a standard having a lug for engagementby said fingers, said standard having a bearing on the shaft and movabletherearound, whereby to permit the swinging of the arm.

5. A music leaf turner, embodying a cylinder, a shaft journaled thereinand formed with an upper non-circular ortion and a lower round portion,a sleeve formed with an opening corresponding to the upper portion ofthe shaft and mounted to move longitudinally thereon, the cylinder beingformed with an interiorly threaded bearing in which the sleeve works,the sleeve being provided at its lower end with laterally spacedactuating fingers, means for turning the shaft, and a leaf turning armprovided with a standard mounted in the cylinder, the standard beingmounted for rotation on the round lower portion of the shaft and beingprovided at its upper end with a lug designed for engagement by saidfingers.

6. A music leaf turner, comprising a cylinder, a screw cap secured tothe upper end of the cylinder, another screw cap secured to the lowerend of the cylinder, a shaft journa-led in said screw caps andprojecting below the lower cap, a sleeve mounted for lon itudinalmovement on said shaft but held to turn therewith, the cylinder beingformed with an interior screw threaded bearing in which the sleeveworks, the sleeve being provided with laterally spaced actuatingfingers, a leaf turning arm provided with a standard mounted within thecylinder and formed with bearings by which it is mounted to turn on theshaft, a lug formed on said standard, the shaft being provided at itslower projecting end with a pinion, and means engaging said pinion forturning the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO B. WVILLI. [1,. s] \Vitnesses R. C. HUEY, F. D. LODGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

